Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Sunny Yogainesville’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Sunny Yogainesville’, characterized by its uniform and somewhat outwardly spreading plant habit; strong and freely branching growth habit; dark green-colored foliage; uniform flowering response and habit; can be grown as a disbud-type, spray-type or without bud removal; early flowering habit; large decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets; bright yellow-colored ray florets; and good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for about three weeks in an interior environment.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Sunny Yogainesville’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Sunny Yogainesville’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the program is to create or discover new potted Chrysanthemum cultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, numerous inflorescences, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response, and good postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yogainesville, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,033. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of the cultivar Yogainesville in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in April, 2001. The selection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, good vigor and strong branching habit, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast and uniform flowering response, and good postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttings was first conducted in Alva, Fla. in July, 2001. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Sunny Yogainesville has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or light level, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Sunny Yogainesville’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sunny Yogainesville’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum:

-   -   1. Uniform and somewhat outwardly spreading plant habit.     -   2. Strong and freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored foliage.     -   4. Uniform flowering response and habit.     -   5. Can be grown as a disbud-type, spray-type or without bud         removal.     -   6. Early flowering, eight week response time.     -   7. Large decorative-type inflorescences with elongated         oblong-shaped ray florets.     -   8. Bright yellow-colored ray florets.     -   9. Good postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good         substance and color for about three weeks in an interior         environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the parent, the cultivar Yogainesville. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of the cultivar Yogainesville primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Yogainesville have white-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the cultivar Sunny Yoolympia, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 11/157,409. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Sunny Yoolympia in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were taller and more upright         than plants of the cultivar Sunny Yoolympia.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about three to four         days later than plants of the cultivar Sunny Yoolympia.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were slightly         darker in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Sunny         Yoolympia.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of typical flowering plants of ‘Sunny Yogainesville’ grown as disbud-types.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Sunny Yogainesville’ grown as disbud-types.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs, following observations and measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the spring in Salinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial potted Chrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, the following conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.; night temperatures, 17 to 19° C.; and light levels, 5,000 to 6,000 foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cm containers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched once about two weeks later. At the time of the pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were initiated. Plants used for the description were grown as disbud-types. Measurements and numerical values represent averages of typical flowering plants.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Sunny     Yogainesville. -   Commercial classification: Decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the     Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yogainesville, disclosed in U.S.     Plant Pat. No. 13,033. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white, close to 155D, in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type potted Chrysanthemum             that can be grown as a disbud-type, spray-type or without             bud removal. Upright with lateral branches somewhat             outwardly spreading; uniformly mounded crown. Strong and             freely branching growth habit; about four lateral branches             develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching); dense and             full plants.         -   Plant height.—About 27 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 34 cm.         -   Lateral branches (peduncles).—Length: About 18 cm. Diameter:             About 4.5 mm. Internode length: About 2.5 cm. Strength:             Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate; simple. Length:             About 7 cm. Width: About 6.5 cm. Apex: Cuspidate to             mucronate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses             between lateral lobes mostly divergent. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color: Developing and fully             expanded foliage, upper surface: Close to 147A. Developing             and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: Close to 147B.             Venation, upper surface: Close to 147A. Venation, lower             surface: Close to 146A. Petiole length: About 2.5 cm.             Petiole diameter: About 3 mm. Petiole texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Pubescent. Petiole color, upper surface:             More green than 147A. Petiole color, lower surface: Close to             146A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with             elongated oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on             terminals above foliage. Disk and ray florets develop             acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences not fragrant.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower             in the autumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other             times of the year, inflorescence initiation and development             can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at             least 13.5 hours of darkness). Uniform and early flowering             habit; plants exposed to two weeks of long day/short night             conditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night             conditions flower about eight weeks later.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three weeks in an interior             environment.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Grown as a disbud-type, only one             inflorescence is allowed to develop per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About 8 mm.             Shape: Oblate. Color: 146A to 147A.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—Large, about 9.3 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 3.5 cm.         -   Diameter of disc.—About 3 mm; inconspicuous.         -   Receptacle diameter.—About 7.5 mm.         -   Receptacle height.—About 6 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 4.7 cm. Width: About 1 cm.             Corolla tube length: About 1.5 cm. Shape: Elongate oblong.             Apex: Emarginate, acute or mamillate. Base: Fused into a             corolla tube. Margin: Entire. Orientation: Initially upright             to eventually perpendicular to the peduncle. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Number of ray             florets per inflorescence: About 272 arranged in numerous             whorls. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface:             Close to 6A to 5A. When opening and fully opened, lower             surface: Close to 6D to 5D.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle.             Length: About 7 mm. Diameter, apex: About 3 mm. Diameter,             base: About 1.5 mm. Shape: Tubular; elongated. Apex:             Five-pointed. Number of disc florets per inflorescence:             About eight. Color: Immature: Close to 144A. Mature, apex:             9A. Mature, mid-section and base: Close to 155D.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 28 arranged in             two to three whorls. Length: About 9 mm. Width: About 4 mm.             Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper surface: Waxy, smooth. Texture, lower             surface: Pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 144A.             Color, lower surface: 146A to 147A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther color: Close to             15A. Pollen amount: None observed. Gynoecium: Present on             both ray and disc florets. Style length: About 6 mm. Style             color: Close to 155A. Stigma color: Close to 9A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial greenhouse conditions. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Sunny Yogainesville’, as illustrated and described. 